


Gravy

by haldoor



Series: Parental Involvement [18]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Happily Ever After, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-18
Updated: 2013-05-18
Packaged: 2017-12-12 04:27:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/807223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haldoor/pseuds/haldoor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>Warnings/Spoilers:</b> None for the show<br/><b>Disclaimer:</b> No ownership; no profit<br/><b>Beta:</b> Ran it past <span class="ljuser i-ljuser"></span><a href="http://kaige68.livejournal.com/profile"><img class="i-ljuser-userhead"/></a><a class="i-ljuser-username" href="http://kaige68.livejournal.com/"></a><b>kaige68</b> but all mistakes are my own<br/><b>Summary:</b> There's  something Steve needs to say to Danny in front of witnesses<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	Gravy

**Author's Note:**

> This is Part 18 and the final installment of the **Parental Involvement** series about Steve coming to terms with the fact he never told his father about his sexuality. There is some comparing of his uneasy relationship with his father to his current relationship with his mother after her twenty-year absence. This part takes place a few hours after **Operation Danno**.
> 
> Also, this is somewhat longer than the 600 words each the previous parts have been, but I really wouldn't have been able to do it justice with fewer words. I have left splits in the 600 word sections to show how I made it up, with the final section being 300 words.

The knock on the door five minutes after seven had Steve's heart thumping even faster than it already had been for the last five anxiety-filled minutes wherein he'd been imagining Danny wasn't going to come.

Taking a deep breath, Steve gave the gathered group a nervous smile. "He's here. Everyone stay quiet."

As he stepped back inside, Steve pulled the curtain in front of the lanai closed so Danny wouldn't see anyone until it was time, and then headed for the front door.

Opening it, he took in the sight of Danny rocking on the balls of his feet, hands thrust deeply inside his pockets and eyebrows raised.

"I thought you'd changed your mind," Steve managed, "Thank you for coming."

"Tell me something I want to hear; I still might change my mind."

Steve knew his eyes widened. "Not out here. Come inside. Please?"

He stepped back to allow Danny inside, and then shut the door after one last worried look past his partner.

When Steve turned around Danny was looking at him suspiciously, one eyebrow cocked as he folded his arms across his chest. "Who – or what – exactly are you expecting to be out there, Steve? I thought this was just between us?"

"Oh... I just... uh... come onto the lanai. Outside..."

"That is not an answer, Steven. And what is this? We were outdoors, then you want me in here, and now we're going outside again... oh."

Danny ground to a halt in the doorway as Steve pushed the curtain aside, revealing Grace, Rachel, Stan, Kamekona, Max, Fong, and perhaps most tellingly, Catherine, standing quietly behind a table laden with all kinds of food. All of them had leis around their necks and the women and Grace had flowers tucked behind their ears.

"Before you say anything, Danny, I need to tell you something."

"This had better be good." Danny spoke under his breath but Steve was close enough to catch the words the others probably hadn't.

Danny held out a hand, smiling at Grace. "Hey, Monkey! I didn't expect to see you here."

Grace gave Steve a pleading look and he nodded. She ran to Danny, wrapping her arms around him and gazing up at him with an expression that said as clearly as if she'd spoken aloud _Give him a chance_. "Uncle Steve invited all of us. It's a luau."

"A luau, huh? With me as the _surprised_ guest?" Danny looked at Steve, suspicion still in his eyes.

"Uncle Steve, you need to give Danno his lei now."

"I do," Steve agreed and reached for one of several colorful leis he'd placed on the table earlier. "May I?"

"I suppose it would be rude to refuse." Danny stepped closer. His smile was small, but it was definitely a beginning.

Steve moved nearer too, placing the lei carefully around Danny's neck. He opened his mouth, the words he'd prepared earlier crowding in the back of his throat, desperate for release. But he couldn't speak too soon or it would ruin everything.

_Just a few more minutes…_

"What is this all about, Steve?"

Stepping back, Steve took a deep breath, gesturing vaguely in the direction of his other guests. "I invited a few friends…" It was difficult to do this in front of all of them, but none of them spoke. Steve hoped like hell he was right about doing this, and that Danny's mother had given him solid advice.

Just then another knock on the door broke the awkward silence.

"Stay here, Danny. Uh… sit down if you want." Steve couldn't move fast enough towards the door.

~//~

This time, Chin stood smiling over the heads of two new faces.

"Mr. and Mrs. Williams, I'm Steve McGarrett. You must be tired, but… I have a few friends here – some of whom you'll know – and there's food. I hope you'll eat with us on the lanai… You'd probably call it a patio. Please, come in." Nerves made his words odd.

"Hello Steve." Mr. Williams held out a hand, shaking Steve's firmly.

His wife, less formally, smiled fondly at Steve before moving close enough to offer a kiss to his cheek. Steve met her halfway, smiling back at her as they parted.

"It's nice to meet you, Steve."

"And you, Mrs. Williams."

Moving inside, Steve turned as he realized someone was behind him.

"Ma… Pop…? I can't believe it! I thought I heard familiar voices, but I thought no way…" Danny, followed closely by Grace and Rachel, moved quickly across the room to embrace his mother and then his father in turn.

Grace jumped excitedly behind him. "Grandma!"

Danny's eyes, looking stunned, met Steve's briefly as the reunion continued. Steve smiled back, sure his plan was now heading in the right direction.

A third knock at the door made Steve start. He'd almost forgotten Kono's part in the operation. Danny frowned at him as he stepped away to let her and her guest inside.

"Kono, Mom; thanks for coming."

"What's this about, Steve?" Doris looked puzzled, her expression darkening as she noted Danny and his family standing behind Steve.

"Come in, Mom. This is Mr. and Mrs. Williams, Danny's parents. Mr. and Mrs. Williams, meet my mother, Doris McGarrett."

Thankfully, Doris wasn't rude enough to ignore the introductions; she gave the right polite responses although her eyes kept straying to Steve's, as did Danny's, albeit in different ways.

Steve rubbed his hands together. "The food's mostly cold cuts and salads, but I wasn't sure on timing. Come through and we can eat."

He gestured towards the lanai door and they all headed outside where more introductions took place. Steve encouraged everyone to take a seat around the large table, managing to organize it so Danny was seated at the middle of one side, Grace to his immediate left and Steve to his right. Danny's parents sat opposite with Doris beside Mr. Williams.

Food was passed around and murmured conversations and polite requests for items out of reach took over as Chin and Kono circled the table offering drinks.

Steve was extremely aware of Danny beside him, and he could feel his anxiety increase. He had to speak before he lost his nerve. Standing up, he rubbed his hands against his cargoes, and cleared his throat, reaching for his glass to hold up his drink.

"First of all, I'd like to thank all of you for coming, especially Danny's parents, who very kindly agreed to come all the way from New Jersey for this."

He couldn't help glancing at Danny, who was looking up at him expectantly, his eyes curiously wary.

Steve smiled at him briefly before continuing, "I asked everyone to come here today because I have something important to ask Danny. I know… I haven't always been clear about my feelings with the people that matter to me, and I'm working hard to… improve on that." He had to look at Catherine as he spoke, offering her an apologetic look, but Cath was smiling at him, and she nodded to show she approved of what he was about to do. Steve took a deep breath, letting it out again slowly. "This… actually seems much harder than I'd expected. Danny…"

~//~

"Babe, you don't have to do this," Danny murmured, and as Steve's eyes focused on him again, he could see the pinkness in the tips of Danny's ears that signified his embarrassment.

"I do, Danny. I told you I'd show you something, and this is the best way for me to do that." He looked across the table at their three parents, his glass gripped tightly in his fist. "Mr. and Mrs. Williams; Mom. I… I love Danny and I can't imagine my life without him. I'm pretty sure he feels the same way, though God knows he has every reason not to."

Turning slightly to look down at Danny, Steve took the rest of his courage in his hands, placing his drink on the table in front of him before he continued. He'd made it this far; the rest couldn't be any worse.

"Danny, I'm sorry for… for confusing you; for not handling things better. What I'd like to ask you… I'm hoping it's not too soon, but I… I wanted to ask you – and you really don't have to give me an answer in front of everybody right now – I just hope you'll think about it and let me know when you're ready… Danny…" He licked his lips, heart thumping as hard as if he was going to ask something much more serious. "Would you consider… will you move in with me?"

There were a few gasps and a couple of pleasurable sounds from the gathered group, and Steve threw his mother a glance, noting her stunned expression before he met Danny's upraised eyes. He wasn't sure what he saw there, and before Steve could stop it, a frown turned his mouth down, fear muting any words he might have wanted to utter now.

Murmuring around them couldn't draw his eyes away from Danny's as Danny stood up. He offered Steve a tight smile and held up his hand as everyone focused on him.

"While Steve may not be the most eloquent of speakers, and I must admit, I was a little concerned his 'question' might have been one that I wasn't quite ready to hear right now, I'm incredibly… touched, I suppose the word is… that he's gone to so much trouble to announce something I had given up all hope of hearing, in all honesty." Danny smiled more fondly at Steve before gesturing with both hands as he looked towards his parents, and then placed a palm over his heart.

"Ma and Pop; that Steve actually asked you over here for this means more than I could say; you agreeing to it means you believed whatever he said to convince you to come, so I can only suppose it was as heartfelt as the words he's just said. Thank you both for the support and for coming. I love you, and I love Steve." At the last, he turned back to Steve. "You are such a goof, babe, but I do love you."

He held out the hand that wasn't covering his heart; Steve took it, frowning as he tried not to let his emotions take over.

Danny kept hold of Steve's hand as he turned back towards the others. "Doris, I know this is not what you wanted for Steve, but it's what _he_ wants, and if it makes him happy, you should be grateful. Happy isn't something I've seen Steve be that often over the three years I've known him, but when it happens, it's magical. You should appreciate that and encourage it."

Steve and Danny's eyes met once again and Danny nodded. "Yes."

~//~

"Yes, what?" Steve was confused. He hadn't expected Danny's articulate speech at this juncture and the conclusion for Operation Danno that he had planned so perfectly had fled completely from his mind.

Danny laughed, tugging on his hand to bring him closer. "Yes, I'll move in with you, you completely crazy-assed, ninja-skilled and grenade-launching idiot. I love you and I can't think of anything I want more than to live with you for the foreseeable future, okay?"

"Okay," said Steve, desire and want and need surging through his body as he grabbed Danny. The kiss he planted on willing lips was firm but quick, and full of promise that there would be time for more intimate ones later. Enveloping Danny in a full body hug, Steve closed his eyes to better appreciate the sensation as their ohana began cheering their approval.

Steve opened his eyes to meet his mother's over Danny's steady shoulder. Tears were evident in her dark eyes, but abruptly she smiled, nodding at him as if she'd finally understood what lay between them. Her acceptance had been a long time coming, but with its arrival, Steve felt an enormous weight lift from his shoulders.

Pulling back from Danny, he grinned down at him, amazed at how much better than his plan this was turning out to be.

"Let's eat, everyone." Steve gestured at the food in front of them, and reached for his chair to sit down.

"I love you," Danny whispered once they were seated and everyone had begun to eat.

"I love you," Steve replied, giving Danny a long, steady look and a smile. It was true what they said about it getting easier the more you said it.

And at this point, the proof was all that Steve needed. The rest was just gravy.

~//~//~

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to everyone following this series, and especially to those of you leaving kudos and comments. Your encouragement and patience means a lot to me.
> 
> Special thanks to my wonderful cheerleader [](http://kaige68.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://kaige68.livejournal.com/)**kaige68** , without whom I wouldn't write half the stories that I do. Thank you, darlink! ♥


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